Convention Center manager helps ring in new year

Jeff Esposito is the general manager of the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie. He was photographed in the Center's main ballroom Dec. 20. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

December 31, 2012 12:01 AM

Jeff Esposito and his staff produce events at the Bayfront Convention Center all year long.

Yet there's something different about Boogie on the Bay, their 5-year-old New Year's Eve bash that takes place tonight.

Esposito, the facility's general manager since January 2008, said it's an affordable yet unique way to ring in the new year: food, a variety of beverages, a laid-back atmosphere and music from Redline, a Youngstown, Ohio, band that Esposito said has a knack for getting "everybody up on the dance floor."

Most of all, it's an event "where certainly everybody is welcome," said Esposito, 44, an Erie resident. "There are certainly many parties in Erie, and this is another to choose from with perhaps a little bit different flavor to it. ... We make it a very easy night out."

1 How large has this New Year's Eve event grown, and what does it mean to the community?

The event has grown to approximately 600 people. We've tried to create as affordable (an event) as we could make it. There's no price increase from last year -- $45 per person or $199 for two tickets with the hotel package at the Sheraton (Erie Bayfront Hotel) next door.

It's a variety of ages. Most of them would be, I would say, late 20s and up. It's not a ball. It's not a gala. It's a party. It's what you want it to be. Some people come in suits. Many people come in like pants and a sweater, that kind of stuff.

2 How are you approaching this year's event?

The décor is always changing. Wonderful ice sculptures by chef (David) Robinson. One year was a giant ice bar, where the entire bar was made out of ice. Last year, he had this gigantic 2011 and New Year's Eve (sculpture), but he had 2011 carved out. That sort of turned into the background for everybody to get their picture taken in front of it. We'll come with what I call a nice traditional New Year's Eve party.

3 What does it take to produce this event?

Fortunately I'm blessed with a very talented staff. We produce this party ourselves by operating the kitchen. The meeting planners are regular staff. The operations team, the laundry, the decorator; this is something we have the talent to do in-house. We produce these parties every week. But when it's your own and your customers are coming down, whether it's a wedding, a banquet, a fundraiser, cocktail party or our own New Year's Eve party, they've all got particulars and hundreds of details for each one of them. We certainly see to our own (events) the same way, with the same care that we've seen to all those weddings and banquets and fundraisers and cocktail receptions over the years.

I would say, overall, what makes it a real pleasure is working with the team that works all year on hundreds of events but is able to produce a nice party of our own. It's kind of a nice change, just to keep it fresh. Oftentimes you might think, "If this is our event, what would we do with it?" We want to keep it simple. I don't want to add a lot of décor and expensive elements that maybe only a small portion of people are interested in. We want to keep it true to its mission, of providing an affordable alternative with a hotel option for a New Year's Eve party. We don't want to do too much. We want to make it a very, very nice party for the community.

4 What are the final seconds before midnight on New Year's Eve like at this event?

There is no speaking. There is no program per se. The band leader will direct everybody. There is Champagne available for a toast if you wish to partake. There's also nonalcoholic (beverages) provided. You can certainly toast with whatever is in your hand. Grise Audio and Visual is one of our partners for the event, and this year Grise will again bring in the camera feed from New York City. They put it up on the big screen, and the ball will drop, and we'll celebrate with folks in New York. Grise does a fantastic setup with the lights and sound.

5 What does this event mean to you?

This event for me is more than just another night's work. All the events we do are special certainly. I love being able to help somebody with a wedding reception. I love to be able to watch events like Festival of Trees, or this year we had the Regional Cancer Center's Show of Hope, and the Barber (National Institute's Christmas) Ball and the Consumer Ball. These events are all really special for different reasons. But New Year's Eve, it's really nice to invite people down to a party of our own. It's sort of a thank-you event for the community. So in turn, we want to make it affordable, and it's really nice to be a part (of). It's really nice to work with my team on a night like this as it is many nights. The night has a great feel to it. It's really a nice, nice party.